O’Brien said the deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Yemen over the past two years with “6.8 million people now a step away from famine and 1,300 deaths associated with the current cholera epidemic was preventable.”

The cholera epidemic comes amid more than two years of intensified conflict in Yemen headed up by a Saudi-led coalition that has killed nearly 5,000 civilians.

O’Brien said, “As critical as humanitarian aid is at this juncture, the only lasting solution to horrors like cholera and famine is to end the conflict.”

Cholera is an extremely virulent disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea, taking between 12 hours and five days for a person to show symptoms after ingesting contaminated food or water. Cholera affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if untreated.